


the meaning of flowers

by caonach



Category: Historical RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 1680s, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F, Geographical Inaccuracies, Historical Accuracy, Historical Figures, Historical and Geographical Adjustments, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, natasha is natalia in this, the fic no one asked for... not even once
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2020-12-24 21:14:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21106106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caonach/pseuds/caonach
Summary: Wanda gets send to work at the Stark Estate by her father, however who she will be working for remains a mystery. Not even she finds out until after her arrival. The only question that remains is whether she can maintain a strictly professional relationship to her mistress, or if she will be entirely captivated by the lady's charms.





	the meaning of flowers

**Author's Note:**

> 1) this is a primarily a wandanat fic, however other pairings will show up as necessary. this is slowburn for a reason  
2) the vast majority of this historically accurate, even in regards to historical events - certain aspects will not be fact checked though  
3) however, do note that things such as geography and history itself have been adjusted to fit sokovia. 
> 
> thus, Please also Note that sokovia in the fic largely corresponds to modern-day ukraine, and that all diversion from history in this fic should not be taken into any different context. all adjustments are made solely to make the story work, not to erase or actually change the history of any country involved. i hope all of you knew/expected this already, but i'd rather clarify it just to make sure everyone reading this fic knows.
> 
> anyway, translations & transliterations:  
сестра - "syestra" - sister  
нет - "nyet" - no
> 
> also, one will read "through her shift" as the beginning of a sentence. please note, that i am referring to the clothing item, and not any of the other noun meanings. a shift here is a loose fitting type of undergarment people used to wear. the are essentially long dresses made out of cotton or linen, functioning as a barrier between the skin and the more expensive outer-layer garments.

The sky was mostly grey, a handful of blue spots peeking through every so often. While the direct sunlight was barely ever visible, it was still rather warm. And even though it was not yet warm enough to leave the house without wearing a coat, it was an improvement. After all, no one was quite happy about snow in April.

  
Their travels were accompanied by the beautiful countryside of North Sokovia. Green grass anywhere you looked, and fields with crops almost ready for harvest. With a journey lasting three days, two should the weather permit, having a picturesque landscape to appreciate did wonders to lighten the mood. Wanda appreciated her brother's presence. One should not mistake her occasional exhaustion for discontent. Such a journey is a lot more bearable when you have company.

  
A finger-snap tore the girl from her thoughts. She had gotten lost in her thoughts again, but only because Pietro was telling her yet _ another time _ about her new job, as well as the people she would be working for and with.

  
“Are you even listening, **сестра**?”, Pietro asked.

  
“ **Нет**, I am not. You’re just repeating yourself, only telling me everything I have already heard twice on this journey alone. Not to mention father reminding me numerous times throughout the past few weeks. It will be fine, Pietro.”

  
“I just wanted to make sure, no need to get snappy.”

  
Wanda replies with a sigh. “I know, and I appreciate it a lot. But I’m also not a child anymore. You do not have to fuss over me all the time.”

  
He nods. She was right, otherwise their parents would not allow her to work this far away from home. Of course, her father was well acquainted with the owner of the Stark estate. Had that not been the case, her mother might have objected to letting her leave regardless. She was protective of Wanda which, considering their royal status, was admittedly unsurprising.

  
“You will write to us, won’t you?” her brother inquired.

  
“Of course.” She nods and shoots him a small smile. They had agreed to keep in touch as the distance made regular visits rather problematic.

  
At the same time, the carriage made it onto the path leading up the Stark estate. They slowed down significantly as soon as they made it past the heavy iron gates. The overall estate was surrounded by sandstone walls, broken up into smaller sections with slightly taller standing pillars, adorned with iron spikes. 

  
The path leading up to the mansion itself was framed by large oak trees, lindens and the occasional spruce tree, as well as numerous berry bushes on the left. On the right, Wanda spotted an increasing amount of flowerbeds. Reds, yellows, greens and whites seemed a flash past her, as they reached the house itself.

  
Wanda fell in love with her new home the second she stepped off the carriage. She noted the smaller size of the building right away, compared to her family’s estate back in Poltava at least. The mansion seemed more homely though, less intimidating. The chances of strangers going in and out, day and night were lower here than any place she had visited with her family in the past. Exactly how she preferred it. No, the younger Maksimov did not particularly enjoy the company of strangers.

  
As they entered the house, Wanda was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the entrance hall. The dark wooden railings on the staircase to her left contrasted with the ever-present sandstone of the walls and the floor of the entrance hall. Although calling it a hall seemed to be an overstatement. One could merely call it an entrance room, despite its high ceiling.

  
The twins were met by Peggy Carter who introduced herself as the housekeeper, telling them she had been awaiting their arrival. The woman then lead the two down the hallway and into the sitting room to the right. There, Tony and Pepper Stark were enjoying themselves over a cup of tea. After brief re-introductions and a short exchange about how things are back at home, Peggy took Wanda away through the dining room and downstairs. Pietro remained with the couple.

  
In the meantime, Wanda was introduced to the rest of the staff. More specifically the people she would encounter and engage with regularly. First was Clint, the house steward, who primarily functioned as Tony’s valet de chambre. However, he also supervised dining room affairs and everything in connection to that. Should her mistress have requests regarding the dining times, the newcomer should inform him of such and he would handle the rest.

  
Maria followed. She was responsible for all affairs to do with laundry, everything from supervising the washing to mending the more expensive garments of the mistresses. Wanda was instructed to pick up washed clothing items from her, as well as bring all laundry down to the washing room as necessary. Said room was located to the far left of the stairs. The housekeeper then stressed that dirty sheets and garments should be put at the far end of the room at the wall, and under no circumstances should they be placed by the window. That area was reserved for all washed garments, ready to be returned to their respective owner.

  
Last was Stepan, or Steve as everyone called him, the clerk of the kitchen. Not that Wanda would work with the man very often, however all food requests should be referred to him. It did not matter whether said request was something as small as the type of biscuits served with tea or rather along the lines of a four course dinner coming from her mistress. The latter half of the “four course dinner” Wanda added mentally, she would never dream of requesting such an amount of food. Let alone for herself.

  
The young woman was then led around the basement rooms. It was explained to her which people she could encounter when and where, as well as which areas would be important to her in her daily tasks.

  
Lastly, Peggy led the younger woman back upstairs to the second floor of the house. As they reached the top of the stairs, she lead Wanda towards the left, and opened the second door on the same side.

  
“This is where you will be staying. Your mistress’ chambers are towards the right of the grand staircase, first door to the left. Her study is located behind the second door on the same side. I recommend you change before supper at seven sharp. Should you need help with anything, I will be in the study on the ground floor, down the hallway, first door on the right.”

  
“Thank you, ma’am,” the girl replied. She got a smile in return, as the housekeeper closed the door behind her.

  
Then, Wanda was alone in her quarters. It felt strange to say that. The plain white walls, the four poster bed in the right corner next to the window, the dark wooden floors… None of it reminded her of her own chambers. She missed her red walls, her flowery bed sheets and matching curtains. The two dressers against the wall next to the door were blocked by her luggage. Right, her luggage. She ought to unpack at some point.

  
_ Later _ , she thought, _ I shall do so later. _

  
Instead, the girl took off her shoes and pulled back the heavy, dark grey curtains and laid down in her new bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. The pillows were comfortable enough, though they would take some getting used to, and the quilted covers on top of the actual blanket reminded her of home a little bit, so the brunette did not feel entirely out of place.

  
Slowly her fingers started tracing along the ridges and bumps in the fabric. Yes, she could get used to this. If she just gave herself the chance this whole ordeal would not cause any problems.

  
Next thing she knew, Wanda woke up facing the wall while laying half underneath said quilted blanket. _ Wait… When did I…? _The realisation she must have fallen asleep at some point hit her. Suddenly, she was wide awake. The girl had no clue how long her nap had lasted, nor did she know the time.

  
Starting to panic, she quickly scrambled out of bed, almost falling onto her face as her feet got caught in the blanket- Wait, a blanket? The brunette did not remember getting under the blankets. _ Huh _ , she thought to herself, _ it must have slipped my mind. _

  
Since it was not her intend to show up to supper late, she hurried to change out of the dress she wore on the carriage ride to the estate. Gone was the simple linen dress, and instead she was now wearing a long dress, made out of soft orange velvet. It had a slit reaching halfway down the bodice which was kept shut with two ornate brooches. A simple white cotton underdress was peeking out from underneath. The sleeves and neckline were clearly visible, as well as hints of white between the edges of the slit. Wanda replaited her hair, letting the braid fall over her left shoulder.

  
As it turned out, she had awoken just at the right time. Pietro, Tony and Pepper were already seated at the table, as well as a young man around her own age. They were seated at an admittedly long table with a lot more space than necessary for just five people. Thus, the majority of the seats remained empty. Not only that, but so did the seat between Pepper and Wanda. The two women were seated to Tony’ right, while Pietro and Peter—as she discovered was the boy’s name—were seated to his left.

  
As the group dined, Pietro and Tony talked about the latter’s travels, as well as Pietro’s plans for the immediate future. In the meantime, Wanda made brief conversation with Peter, the boy sitting across from her. She learned that he originally came from London, where his aunt raised him, after his mother had died during childbirth. They had moved to Sokovia when he was merely a few years old, after his grandparents had died and their only living family was Tony. He had no memories of London or the arduous journey to Sokovia.

  
Peter imparted that during the week he was staying in town, as he had recently started an apprenticeship with a tailor. And since getting into the city took about an hour by horseback already, he was living with his teacher to avoid having to travel every day.

  
Dinner was long, mainly because of the continuous conversations between all parties seated at the table. However, as the grand clock struck eight, the conversations died down to avoid sitting at the table for another hour. They finished supper in tranquility. Peter retired for the night while everyone except Wanda proceeded to the sitting room to continue their conversations. The seat to Wanda’s left had remained vacant the entire time.

  
Darkness fell outside soon after. The house appeared quiet, as it dozed off to sleep. It made sense, after all, it had passed midnight already. Wanda has settled in her bed, flipping through the pages of the borrowed book she had been allowed to take from the library. She didn’t manage to fall asleep. Maybe it had been because of the nap earlier that day, maybe it was the anxiety surrounding the following day. Pietro would depart, and she would be alone in this place which not even closely felt like home. She closed the book and added it to the small pile on the chair next to the bed. Sleep would not be her mistress any time soon.

  
Sighing, she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy, as did her head. However every time she closed them with the intention to sleep, sleep would not come for her. At this, she decided to put her old stockings back on and get out of bed.

  
A foursome of candles were illuminating her room, allowing her to find the way to the door without problem. Briefly she considered putting on her shoes as well, before deciding that may not be the brightest idea, considering that everyone else was, in all likelihood, sound asleep by now. She opened the door with great care, slipped outside, and closed it again quietly.

  
With one of the candles guiding her way, the youngest Maksimov made her way through the mansion to reach the garden at the far end of the main entrance. Out of her room and down the stairs, then to the left and down the hallway, to right into a small reading room with a door leading into the gardens. She opened it, flinching as the door creaked loudly on its hinges. She froze and listened for footsteps, or any hint that another person had awakened. Then, when she deemed it safe, she slipped outside without daring to shift the door another bit.

  
Through her shift, Wanda felt the cool breeze. It wasn’t uncomfortably cold, though the occasional shiver just could not be suppressed. She took a first step forward, before she took another. The pebbles of the path leading through the gardens dug into her soles, making the girl wince whenever she stepped onto a particularly jagged stone. Still, she continued her walk, turning left and right, exploring the gardens without really being able to tell where she was exactly.

  
A splash could be heard to her left. It was merely a faint sound, in the quiet of the night however, it was impossible to miss. It must have come from the lake, she deduced. Pepper had told her about it during supper. As she had been told by the lady of the house, it was not unheard of that the members of staff enjoyed a swim in the lake whenever they might desire to do so outside of their duties.

  
_ But who… who would engage in such a thing at the witching hour? _

  
Tentatively, she made her way towards the lake, the splashing sounds guiding her through the darkness. She also was still in possession of her lit candle, though it was not illuminating her path well enough to go off it’s light alone. She placed her feet with utmost care as she made her way off the well-tried path and onto the dew laced grass.

  
Now she overheard the splashing more clearly, and throughout the trees she saw the lunar reflection in the water. Right there, right in the centre of the reflection she caught sight of a maiden. As she observed her, her first thought at least was that she must be a maiden. The long hair falling over the being’s back seemed to be a certain indicator.

  
As she made her way through the underbrush she blew out the flame to stay concealed. It was soon to be at the end of its wick. Thus, Wanda hid the lump of wax in the shrubs and rested her back against the tree as she sat down. Making sure she was in a position to keep a lookout on the lake while staying obscured from sight at the same time. It was an understatement to say she was just captivated by this person.

  
The pale skin radiated a seemingly unnatural glow in the moonlight, as did the hair when the figure tipped their head back. Letting the ends of it dip into the lake. As the person turned to their side, Wanda could tell the unidentified person was a woman. Unexpectedly, she felt out of place, like she was a burglar stealing a glance as she didn’t manage to stop herself watching her. But alas all her efforts she couldn’t do it, her eyes kept being glued to the mysterious woman in front of her. Leaving her inner turmoil be, Wanda pulled her legs to her chest and rested her arms on them and let herself take in the serenity of the moment.

  
The minutes passed while she kept her gaze on the lake. Her head resting against the bark. She watched as the figure ran her hands through her hair, as if she was untangling it. Wanda guessed it might have a slight scarlet tint to it. Moments passed before she noticed the small heap of white fabric laying at the fringe of the lake. Presumably a shift and maybe a large cloth, as the pile was too substantial to contain merely a shift, but also too unpretentious to be multiple layers of clothing.

  
As time passed, it was unknown to an outside observer just how much. Then, rather unexpectedly , the splashing of the water grew audibly. Making her jump at the sudden noise, as the soft, quiet splashes had soothed her significantly.

  
Now, as the woman made her way towards the verge of the lake. She took to her heels, as the woman was indeed intending on leaving the lake. She took fright. Rising to her feet as swiftly as feasible , and made off. Through the shrubbery and past the trees, back onto the gravel path. The gravel dug into the girl’s soles with each step, though the pain was only secondary to the trepidation. She did not quite register it. Somehow, in retrospect, Wanda could never recall just how she had managed it, but the brunette made it back to the domicile.

  
As she swiftly entered the house she closed the door behind herself instantaneously. Once more, the loud shriek startled her. Making her way through the halls and back upstairs into her room. She panted as she slanted her back down against the closed door, trying her hardest not to simply sink to the ground. Slowly, the pain in her soles started to sprout upwards into her feet. Perhaps she had run just a little quickly and maybe her paces had been just a little too heavy.

  
Getting up from the floor she blew out the candle which was set to her right. With small steps she made it to her bed and took a seat . Then, leaning forward she blew out the other two as well. Her hands were quivering a little as she pulled her hair over her shoulder to liberate her hair. Over the years she had grown accustomed to braiding and unbraiding her hair, so her fingers moved quickly for her to be done within just a handful of minutes.

  
Letting a sigh escape her lips, Wanda crawled onto her bed entirely. After taking off her stockings, she got under the covers. She forced herself to close her eyes. No more thinking, no more distractions, no more dwelling on the near future or her own feelings. As she was to get up early the next morning, she could not afford staying up much longer.

  
And certainly enough, Wanda was asleep within just a handful of moments, the depiction of a faceless red haired woman with skin as white as snow, bathed in moonlight remained on her mind.

**Author's Note:**

> okay so at the end of this chapter i need to ramble about my best friend for a second because wow, i'm grateful as heck.
> 
> first of all, i'm writing this as he's going though the first chapter editing it and stuff so that it sounds good to read. it leads to two things happening. the realisation that without his constant support this fic would not be happening, and that i cannot deal with "criticism".
> 
> well, it's not criticism. he makes suggestions of things that can sound better and usually they do. usually. i will stand by my decision to keep the second "I" because we need. the emphasis.
> 
> secondly, i quite dislike hearing my own [unedited] writing read aloud. he can keep doing it though. but only while i'm watching something on my tv. like... idk critical role or so.
> 
> and lastly, i'm just overall incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful friend. like, just wow, never been happier to have someone in my life (who also plans to stick around?? like?? omg people want to do that??).
> 
> buuuut yeah, you the best, love ya lots, really do appreciate you and don't know how i would have done this without your support <3 (also i blame you and crit role for the fact that i have started to refer to you as "fjord boi" in my head - fj worked fine??)


End file.
